And the work has continued at some speed, with the cordoned off area now already barely recognisable.

Colin Campbell Court is being demolished (Image: Penny Cross)

Earlier this month wrecking crews moved in to Colin Campbell Court, currently occupied by shops and a run-down car park, using a machine known as 'The Muncher' to bulldoze three derelict buildings on the corner of New George Street.

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This kicked off a long-awaited regeneration which will eventually feature up to 300 new houses alongside cafes, studios and restaurants, opening up a direct link between the West End of the city centre and Millbay.

Ian Bowyer, leader of Plymouth City Council, told The Herald the project will "completely change the face of the city", boost trade and inject some much-needed life into the bottom end of town.

Gilpin Demolition is carrying out the work on Colin Campbell Court (Image: Penny Cross)

"This is a big day," he said as the work got under way.

"It's been a long time coming. Not through any fault of our own, but this has always been a difficult site. We've had to work long and hard to actually acquire ownership of it.

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"Now we have the ownership, we have control and a much higher level of confidence to do what we say we're going to do.

"This is an important spot. One of the major criticisms from the public is that the city centre dies at 6pm. There is some validity to that, so this is an opportunity for us to see some residential use here, get some families living here and using the city centre for what it's built for.

The work to bulldoze Colin Campbell Court is in full swing (Image: Penny Cross)

"Having houses here would provide footfall, and therefore better trading prospects for the West End traders as well.

"There are lots of pluses here, but it's been a difficult one. I'm really pleased that at last we've got to the point where we're able to start demolishing some of the old and bring in some of the new."

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The new development would include a collection of four to six storey buildings, with the current car park transformed into an attractive courtyard.

"Knocking down these three buildings will give access into the site and provide a glimpse of the future," Cllr Bowyer said.

The demolition of Colin Campbell Court is part of a £40million regeneration project (Image: Penny Cross)

"When you're stood at the bottom of Frankfort Gate there, looking through, it will open up down to Millbay.

"This will be done in a staged process. We'll get these buildings demolished to provide that access, and get something else put in their place, so we can then move others who are occupying other buildings.

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"I'm conscious we have tenants in these buildings and we can't just throw them out, we have to make sure we do it in a measured way."

Some traders and business owners in the area have expressed concern, suggesting the council is not keeping them properly informed of its plans.

Soon the Colin Campbell Court area will be almost unrecognisable (Image: Penny Cross)

"The last thing we want to do is destroy the vitality of the West End and independent quarter in the city," Cllr Bowyer said.

"I would strongly suggest to the traders that having houses here with people living here will actually increase their trading prospects, because they will have more people on the doorstep to trade with, rather than just a car park which may or may not be full."